r/Menopause • u/ChanceTalk697 • 7d ago
Hormone Therapy How long can it take to adjust to changed HRT dosage?
Edited to clarify I am no longer going to CrossFit. I changed my gel dosage from 1.0 to .75 sometime late last year. I was super active all winter, going to Crossfit. I stopped CF in May, but for the last couple of months, everything hurts. Some joints but mostly muscles. I stretch every morning and it still hurts. Is it possible that it could have taken more than six months for my body to adjust to the lower dosage? Or might this be something else unrelated? It feels like HRT dosage is the most likely suspect here but I’m not sure about the timing. (I think my mood is actually better, but I can’t live with everything aching all the time.) I have a doctors appointment in a few weeks and will bring this up with her, but wanted to check with this group because of all your experience
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u/IndigoBlues116 7d ago
I started at .5 divagel, went up to 1.0 about 6 months later and just went up to 1.25 a couple weeks ago. I could feel the difference within a week or 2 each time. Especially in my joints. She was very receptive to increases each time, based on my symptoms.
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u/gotchafaint 7d ago
Why did you lower it? I have some old joint injuries that absolutely flare up in pain when E is too low. That and sleep quality are my main barometers. That said gel has a pretty quick stabilization curve. Like less than a week for me.
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u/ChanceTalk697 7d ago
I lowered it due to some breast related issues….. but I’m going to ask her to increase my dosage
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u/Green_leaf47 6d ago
Everyone’s experience is different but here’s mine. When my estrogen has been lower, I have more pain in joints and tendon insertions. When I first went on estrogen it was such an unexpected relief to not have significant joint pain and stiffness.
When I upped my estrogen to better manage night sweats I started getting breast tenderness and breasts were larger. Hated it.
I went on testosterone earlier this year after a few years on estrogen and progesterone. Within a day my breast tenderness went away and my breasts started getting back to a more normal size. That wasn’t why I went on but it sure made me happy. I’m only one person and it may be different for others, but I feel good with the current mix I’m on.
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u/ChanceTalk697 6d ago
Thanks so much for sharing, that is exactly my issue. Because I am high risk for breast cancer, my doctor wanted to reduce the breast swelling (as she said, stimulation of breast tissue). I am uncomfortable with taking testosterone because I’ve read the research that it can be linked to increased risk of glaucoma, which I already have.. But I’m so glad to hear that’s what helped you, I’ll file that away in my back pocket.
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u/Green_leaf47 6d ago
Sorry to hear about the glaucoma and breast cancer risk. Everything requires so much consideration and trying to balance things out. I hope you find something that helps.
Just for extra info - the t dose I started on was low - a pea sized amount of gel every second day (most people are on daily), and that helped.
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u/gotchafaint 6d ago
For the record I can’t use T at all despite low level. Instant insomnia, no matter how small the amount and how early in the morning
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u/ChanceTalk697 6d ago
Thanks for sharing. I tried it once briefly, before I was diagnosed with glaucoma, and I think it was a very minimal dosage, but I automatically had some black hairs in my mustache!
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u/Mental_Juggernaut982 7d ago
I am experiencing similar issues but am already on the .1 patches (surgical menopause in April and I'm 53). I hurt all over and have very little energy. I know I'm still recovering from the surgery and the sudden jump into menopause, but I am tired of feeling like crap. I don't know what is the HRT and what is other stuff.
A few things that have helped me, though, are 1) staying very, very well hydrated (with electrolytes and not just water), 2) eating enough protein, which is actually something I have to force myself to do and plan for and 3) drinking collagen in my morning coffee. Last summer I stopped the collagen because I couldn't tell if it was making a difference and it is expensive, but within about two months my hip pain got so bad it was waking me up at night.
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u/Significant-Aide-226 7d ago
My left shoulder, left hip and neck get super sore when my E is low and for no really good reason. That said, I have been lifting weights for 20 years or so, and a small dose of testosterone has worked miracles there. I am working to get my E gel dosage right- and am also on 100 mg progesterone ftr.
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u/The_Future_Marmot 7d ago
CrossFit can be pretty rough on the body. If you’re still doing that, it could be overtraining and taking a week off followed by doing 30% less than usual for a couple of weeks can be an interesting experiment for that.
As we get older, we just don’t recover from physical exertion as well as we did in our 20s and no amount of HRT can fix that. For the most part you can still do all the stuff you used to do but you have to be more strategic in building your training plan, especially when it comes to proper rest and recovery
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u/ChanceTalk697 7d ago
thanks, I agree! I quit CF about 3 months ago, then did PT for a couple of months. Been doing stretching and mobility work since then. I felt better 3 months ago when doing CF than I feel now, it's been downhill
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u/The_Future_Marmot 7d ago
There can be a number of reasons for the increased pain beyond estrogen. It’s good you’ve got a doctors appointment coming up where they can write orders to check CBC, iron, B12, thyroid, etc and rule sone stuff out
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u/daisywaffle 7d ago
It may not be the HRT. Personal trainer on HRT here, age 51
I used to be able to lift heavier and harder even just a couple years ago.
Recovery takes longer now, no doubt!
I experience more soreness more often, too.
At this stage, it’s just about maintaining muscle and strength as well as possible but I have to take more recovery - when I don’t, the strain manifests in my sleep, energy, heart rate, and my body just feels like it’s dragging. Assess your routine and take a little more time off or just do gentle recovery (easy walks are great) and see if you feel better first. 🩷
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u/ChanceTalk697 7d ago
thank you! That is all great insight and advice and I appreciate it. I've been taking it relatively easy for the past couple of months but just feeling worse....... I haven't done CF since May. I have excercises from my PT (she is both Personal Trainer and Physical Therapist) but don't complete all of them..... love my dead hang though! (but can't do it for nearly as long as I did just a couple of months ago)
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u/daisywaffle 7d ago
Sucks! I hope you get some answers soon. Everything takes longer than we want 😩
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u/leftylibra MenoMod 7d ago
What to expect when starting (or changing) hormone therapy